Union actors
- Thread starter chlsy8
- Start date
There are no issues that affect you.
A SAG actor has signed an agreement with the Guild saying they will not
accept work in non-guild projects. If your actor chooses to work in your
movie only he can be affected. You have not signed any agreement with
SAG so they can do nothing to you. Many SAG actors choose to work
in non-guild projects. Some will not. But it entirely up to the actor.
This is not a "legal" matter in the sense that any laws are broken by
you or the actor.
A SAG actor has signed an agreement with the Guild saying they will not
accept work in non-guild projects. If your actor chooses to work in your
movie only he can be affected. You have not signed any agreement with
SAG so they can do nothing to you. Many SAG actors choose to work
in non-guild projects. Some will not. But it entirely up to the actor.
This is not a "legal" matter in the sense that any laws are broken by
you or the actor.
But it's good to be clear with the actor up front that you aren't in fact planning to become a guild signatory, just so that you're both clear that they are agreeing to work on your project despite that.
Or, you can get a SAG ULB Agreement for the actor. I prefer SAG and union actors over most nonunion actors I've come across. They are more responsible and professional unless the nonunion people come from top acting schools.
All other actors would have to register SAG as well even if you went ULB.
Like it's been said, if he's willing go for it.
Like it's been said, if he's willing go for it.
I was going to ask something similar to this.
If I shoot a Non-Union film while using a few SAG actor friends of mine and it makes it into a big festival, gets picked up for distribution, and SAG takes notice and gets angry, what's my next step? How can I protect my actors? Can I just pay a fee to appease SAG?
If I shoot a Non-Union film while using a few SAG actor friends of mine and it makes it into a big festival, gets picked up for distribution, and SAG takes notice and gets angry, what's my next step? How can I protect my actors? Can I just pay a fee to appease SAG?
An actor who has signed the SAG agreement cannot work on a
non-SAG project. That is the agreement they make with their
Guild. If they break their agreement, a payment later will not
appease the Guild. The agreement isn't "break it now if you
want and pay up later if you need to."
SAG has two low budget agreements specifically for this reason.
I know many filmmakers do not like the contact so they do not
use it. I have never had an issue with it. These actors are your
friends - they know the agreement they have with the Guild. Be
upfront with the actors and allow them to make the decision that
they can live with.
If they do not feel comfortable working outside of their agreement
then contract then you can look into making your movie under one
of their no/low budget agreements.
I skimmed the SAG ultra low budget contract. If it was more of a formality, I wouldn't have a problem with it. Since my SAG actors are friends, they would have no problem waiving the $100 per day base rate because they know I don't have thousands of dollars to pay them.
But the contract asks for weekly proof of payment and constant paperwork and records. I'm writing/producing/directing this myself, with maybe $10,000, which will go to camera/equipment rental and maybe a location or two. Things will be extremely hectic, fast paced, and sporadic so I will have no time for any of SAG's protocol.
But the contract asks for weekly proof of payment and constant paperwork and records. I'm writing/producing/directing this myself, with maybe $10,000, which will go to camera/equipment rental and maybe a location or two. Things will be extremely hectic, fast paced, and sporadic so I will have no time for any of SAG's protocol.
Another point of interest: If I shoot this film Non-Union, I will be in the same hot water as my SAG actors because of the recent SAG-AFTRA merger, I was grandfathered into the union by default and will be playing a small role in my film.